Jia Li wouldn’t have been surprised if Marie declined the idea of attending a protest. They weren’t for everyone, and she wasn’t about to try to convince someone to do something they didn’t want to do. That would be hypocritical of her as she didn’t appreciate people trying to push her into doing things that didn’t appeal to her. Of course, sometimes it turned out okay, but other times… It was just better not to think about it.
When Jia handed her empty dish to Marie, she slipped onto the stool that had stood beside her the whole time as if it was the most natural thing in the world. She hadn’t noticed it somehow. She had either been lost in thought or lost in talk, but now she sat upon it. She wished she’d noticed earlier. The pleather groaned softly beneath her slight weight, but her skirt muffled it.
“I think that sounds fun. I hope I get a teacher who appreciates field trips. Being stuck in the classroom and forced to watch videos of things in nature is nowhere near as enlightening as actually seeing it up close and personal.” The dryad was, obviously, a nature lover. She loved to experience it. Jia Li had even been to the ocean a couple of times to swim, and she had loved it even though it wasn’t exactly foresty.
“Oh. We don’t really live very close to the coast. We’re more inland. Alden’s probably closer than I was growing up.” She didn’t ask where else Marie’s family lived. She’d met people who traveled a lot and people who moved a lot. Her best friend in elementary school had moved away for four years only to come back, telling the dryad that she’d lived in three other places in the time they’d been apart. It wasn’t long before her family moved away again.
“Are you close with your siblings?” Sure, it personal information, but without anything more specific like names and years and things, it couldn’t be used for bad, right? “I don’t have any siblings. I’ve always kind of wanted one, though… Maybe a little brother or something.” She may have wanted a little sister, but it was just her father and herself. There wouldn’t be a mother to teach them girly things, and Jia wasn’t exactly well versed in things like hair and make-up.
She figured a brother would work better with their dad, too. After all, when that time of the month first hit the young dryad, her father had almost panicked. If not for their next door neighbor being a woman, he wouldn’t have really known what to do other than to buy her some feminine hygiene products. Being a nurse practitioner probably helped, too.
“Swimming? I just went swimming a little while ago, but just as recreation. I don’t think I’d ever be good enough to compete, but that’s okay. Dance is more my thing. I’m on the team here, but we didn’t win last year. We placed, though. We’re hoping to step it up a notch and win first.” She had a smile on her face as she spoke. Dancing was a huge part of her life, and she was really good at it. As a young girl, she had been naturally gifted with rhythm, but training and hard work had definitely caused vast improvements. Raw talent alone wasn’t everything.
She’d been competing since she was seven, and she’d been on several teams both in her schools and outside them. There were a few trophies and many ribbons lining a wall and shelves along that wall in her father’s house. He said it was dedicated specifically to her wins and honorary mentions. There were also pictures of her competing or the aftermaths. Lieven always said it made him swell with pride whenever he walked past it, and it made her feel really happy that her achievements weren’t taken lightly.
“How long have you been competing?” Jia asked the other.